What Is The Difference Between Brain And Mind?

We have all made this particular mistake at least once in our lives: using the words 'brain' and 'mind' interchangeably. It is easy to make this mistake because both may appear to be the same thing.

They are not!

There are actually quite a lot of differences between the brain and the mind. So, how exactly are the brain and the mind different? We will learn in this article. 

But, before we get into the differences, let’s first understand what the brain and the mind are.

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What is the Brain?

The brain is the organ located inside our skull that regulates all physical functions of the human body. It is a vital part of our central nervous system (CNS) that serves as the hub for gathering, organizing, and disseminating information throughout the body. Most of our body's organs are under its control.

The brain is the most intricate organ in the body and has about 86 billion active neurons, which interact with each other to create circuits and exchange information.

Our brain is divided into three major parts. They are: the cerebellum, cerebrum, and brain stem.

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What is the Mind?

The mind is a concept that has been debated and explored by scholars, scientists, and theologians for centuries. The agreed-upon definition of the mind is that it is the complex network of thought processes and consciousness that arises from the neurological activity of the brain. We can divide our mind into three layers: conscious, unconscious, and subconscious.

The conscious layer consists of our immediate thoughts, feelings, and memories, while the unconscious layer is composed of basic and primordial impulses, and the subconscious layer contains the memories and behaviours that we have acquired over time.

The exploration of the mind has been an ongoing process and has yielded many insights into how our mental processes influence our behaviour.

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Brain vs. Mind: What are the differences?

At its simplest, mind refers to our ability to think, feel, and engage in physical activity. The brain, on the other hand, refers to the physical organ in our head that supports these functions. Here are three key differences between the two:

• The brain is composed of neurons and blood vessels; on the other hand, the mind is abstract and is not made up of any neurons or blood vessels.
• While the brain controls a person's movements, emotions, and various bodily functions; the mind alludes to a person's morality, reasoning, and understanding.
• The brain is a physical organ; it can be touched or seen; however, the mind is intangible; it can neither be touched nor seen.

There are many debates about the differences between the brain and the mind. However, one thing is for sure: mind skills can be trained, while brain function cannot be changed. Mind skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, and communication can all be trained over time to increase the effectiveness of a person's mental processes.

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To sum up, the brain and mind are two very distinct concepts; the brain is a physical organ, while the mind is an intangible concept. While both are essential to a person's functioning, the brain is responsible for physical functions, while the mind is responsible for abstract thought and emotion and is not bound by the same physical laws as the brain. 

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